Tuesday, January 16, 2001

Popular or Best?

I wrote something 3 years ago in January 1998, which is published at About This Particular Macintosh. Since this blog has become a repository for various writings, I thought I should post a back up version of this here:

I recently had a computer purchase discussion with
my sister—She and her husband would like to have a PC so that Jake and Jamie (my
niece and nephew—ages 2 1/2 and 4 1/2) can learn computers and have some fun.
Every time the Js are over, they have a great time on my Quadra, playing kids'
games I downloaded off the net.

The bad news is my brother-in-law—an otherwise
decent fellow—is considering purchasing a Wintel machine for their home. The
reason Sis gave for possibly making this egregious error was curious: "Windows
is the most popular" computer option.

The phrase "most popular" not the "best" or
"most useful," but most popular—stuck in my craw for a few days.

I was disturbed by the thought of my niece &
nephews' first real computer experiences being Wintel; Disturbed enough to do a
little research into some of the world's most popular (but not necessarily best,
or even 3rd or 8th best) things:

The
single that spent the most consecutive weeks (54) on the US charts is "The
Macarena," by Los Del Rio. "The Macarena" dethroned the previous consecutive
chart topper, "Oh, What a Night" (by The Four Seasons)

The
world's most translated author is everyone's favorite commie, Vladimir Lenin.
(3,842 translations). William Shakespeare is a distant fourth with 1,689
translations.

The
longest running Broadway play of all time is Cats (1982 to present).

The
U.S. President who was elected with the largest popular majority was none other
than Tricky Dick—Richard M. Nixon won with 47.1 million to McGovern's 29.1
million votes.

The
most-watched weekly program in television history is Baywatch. Nielsen Media Research
puts its weekly viewership in 110 countries at 2.3 billion (That is right,
billion).
At a distant second is Jim Henson's The
Muppets. With barely 10% of Baywatch's audience, a
mere 235 million people in 106 countries enjoy Kermit the Frog weekly.

The
best selling novel of all time—at 30 million copies—is Valley of the Dolls, by Jacqueline
Susann.

The
Number 3 Best Selling Music Video of all time is "Step By Step" by New Kids On
The Block. The Number 2 best seller is "Hangin' Tough" by—that's right again—New
Kids On The Block. Incidentally, Hangin' Tough was previously the number 1 best
selling music video of all time, until it was displaced by (I couldn't even make
this stuff up if I tried) "Hangin' Tough Live,"
by New Kids On The Block.

The
world's best selling prepared food is that gustatory treat, the Big Mac, at over
14 billion served.

The
world's largest daily circulation newspaper is neither the Wall Street Journal nor the New York Times, but Pravda, at 10 million copies per
day.

Though not a public corporation (with no accompanying public financial
disclosure required), the highest revenue generating infomercial is believed to
be The Psychic Friends' Network (1-900 Psychic).

The
final numbers have not been tallied yet, but it appears that Elton John's
re-release of "Candle In The Wind:" Rose of England (Tribute to Princess Diana)
is about to pass Bing Crosby's White Christmas for best selling single of all
time.

The
world's best selling brewery is Anheiser Busch; makers of many fine
products—most notably its biggest seller—Budweiser Beer.

Not
too long ago, "(Whoomp) There It Is" by Tag Team was the year's best selling
single.

1996's best selling non-fiction book was Make the Connection by that
literary lion herself, Oprah Winfrey (co-written by her dean of letters, Bob
Greene).

The
most watched event in television history is Princess Di's funeral, which
displaced the previous number one: The Royal Wedding of Prince Charles to Lady
Diana Spencer. Man's landing on the moon is a bit further down the list.

The
best selling film soundtrack of all time is The Bodyguard.

The
fastest selling Debut Album of all time was Hootie and the Blowfish's
Cracked Rear View, which sold 14 million copies.

Sources: Top Ten of Everything, by Russel Ash
(DIK Publishing); Nielsen Media Research; The Book of Mosts, Aaron Cohl (St.
Martin's Press); Guinness Book of World Records, 1997; Issac Asimov's Book of
Facts.

My purpose in putting together this assortment
of "Best Sellers" is not to mock or humiliate people who are fond of popular
things (Okay, maybe I can mock fans of Hootie and the Blowfish and tweak Nixon
supporters a little). Rather, it was to gather some ammo to poke holes in the
blind argument used by the Wintel crowd: it's the most popular platform,
therefore, you should get it.

My apologies in advance if this comes across as
too pretentious or condescending; obviously, it is a selective list. There are
many fine products and services that sell well—the Beatles, Star Wars, and the
Honda Accord are just a few examples. It just seems to me that, for the most
part, people have a hard time distinguishing between qualitative and
quantitative factors.

I hope my little diatribe provides you with a
suitable response the next time you overhear some pinhead using this nonsense to
talk someone out of getting a superior product.